In 2024, a lot happened at Baldwin Wallace University and the surrounding community, here are some of the highlights.
Breaking News
Throughout the year, BW has had some big headlines detailing the changes that were coming to campus, welcoming new staff members along with saying goodbye to other staff members and changes coming to the education available to students.
At the end of January, The Exponent reported that BW welcomed Thomas Sutton as interim Provost until the spring of 2026 in response to Provost Stephen Stahl’s retirement. Sutton went on to become BW’s interim President later in the year due to former university President Bob Helmer’s departure.
In mid-February, it was announced that 79 percent of BW’s full-time teaching faculty voted in favor of the new Choose Your Competency core model that will be implemented for all incoming students in 2025 and will be open to current students who may wish to switch to the new curriculum.
Skipping ahead to October, Baldwin Wallace University announced several staff eliminations along with program cuts in efforts to reduce the previously projected $20 million deficit leaving students, faculty and staff reeling over the fate of several programs.
In all, ten programs were cut and 49 faculty departed amid these campus changes.
President Sutton and faculty from departments affected by recent program cuts held student forums to discuss the changes to the Communication Arts and Sciences and Art departments, respectively.
Berea Community
While a lot of changes occurred within the communities that students, faculty and staff built within BW, many developments took place in the Berea community as well.
Mid-February, Berea community members expressed their support and sadness after the co-owner of Berea Depot Lynn McLaughlin announced via a Facebook post on Dec. 28 that their business and longtime establishment, Berea Depot, would not reopen.
In the middle of April, two residents of Berea invited Matthew Diemer, a Democrat running for the United States House of Representatives for Ohio’s 7th Congressional District, to Café Ah-Roma on April 13 for a meet and greet with members of the community.
The treehouse project, consisting of a main platform that is about 660 square feet, with two separate platforms connected by bridges, a project initiated by Berea Mayor Cyril Kleem, began construction in early April and concluded in the summer.
Alumni Success
In early February, Brooke Balamenti, a recent graduate of BW, self-published her first novel entitled “The Mind Field.” Balamenti would continue on her publishing journey when she published the sequel “Under the Same Stars” in mid-October.
In Ohio’s March 19 primary election, Democratic candidate for Ohio state representative and Baldwin Wallace University alumnus Chris Glassburn secured the Democratic nomination against his opponent, TJ Mulloy, for the 15th House District.
In September, Alli St. John, a 2014 music theatre graduate of BW, has found work as a casting director for Children’s Theatre Company and has reflected on how her experience has served her in her past and current roles.
Films
From sci-fi dramas like Megalopolis to film adaptations of musicals like “Wicked,” 2024 has brought several different films for audiences to enjoy, here are some of our top reviewed films of 2024.
Originally released on May 21, The Sean Baker romcom “Anora” recently began to gain attention from mainstream viewers in the fall of 2024. The film takes the Cinderella story and turns it on its head with a love between a Russian oligarch’s son and a Brooklyn stripper
“Poor Things,” the Oscar award-winning film directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, used themes from Mary Shelley’s classic story of “Frankenstein” with its use of a mad scientist bringing about the creation of a person in an adult body while maintaining the same thematic scheme.
Tim Burton returned to the afterlife with his sequel “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” a return to form 35 years after his original dark fantasy comedy horror film was first released.
“Megalopolis” the newest film by world-renowned, Oscar winning director Francis Ford Coppola was released on Sept. 27 after around 40 years in the making.
John Crowley’s “We Live In Time,” released on Oct. 18 brought a presentation of cherishing the time we have with our loved ones and brings a heartwarming story to the silver screen.
The highly anticipated film “Wicked” directed by Jon M. Chu captivated film and musical fans alike with the new movie-musical adaptation that was recently released to theaters early last month.
BW Theatre and Dance
In their 17th annual spring partnership with Playhouse Square, Baldwin Wallace University Music Theatre students brought an intimate production of “Ordinary Days” to the Helen Theatre in early March.
In April, the Department of Theater and Dance brought William Shakespeare’s “Measure for Measure,” a play exploring themes of sexual politics through a gendered lens, to Kleist’s Mainstage Theatre.
BWMT brought the Gospel story to the BW stage with the rock opera “Jesus Christ Superstar,” which premiered on Nov. 14 in the Mainstage Theatre of the Kleist Center for Art & Drama.
The World Around Us
On Jan. 22, Republican United States Senate candidates Bernie Moreno, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose and Ohio Senator Matt Dolan went head-to-head in a debate hosted by Fox 8, with all three candidates slamming college campuses for what they say are pushing “one dominant viewpoint,” including antisemitism and “gender ideology.”
On March 13, the United States House of Representatives passed the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, a bill that would ultimately regulate the use of TikTok and similar apps controlled by a considered foreign adversary.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio announced Monday that they are planning to file a lawsuit against House Bill 68, a bill that sparked division between Governor Mike DeWine and state legislator that bans transgender minors from receiving gender affirming care and stops transgender women and girls from participating in men’s sports.
The Exponent
On April 13, The Exponent received the Corbin Gwaltney Award for Best All-Around Student Newspaper from the Society of Professional Journalists (Region 4) in recognition of our outstanding accomplishments in collegiate journalism.
On Aug. 24, The Exponent was awarded First Place in the “Best College Newspaper” and the “Best Deadline Reporting” categories at the annual contest hosted by the Society of Journalism-Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Columbus chapters. This is a regional recognition.
On Sept. 30, we announced that the print edition of our publication would have to go on an indefinite hiatus due to budget related issue; this hiatus lasted two weeks until we were able to release our first issue on Oct. 16, 2024.
